Pieces
by Riley Alicia
Summary: Wait. Derek Venturi wasn’t interested in a pretty girl? For the second time in a row? What had happened to him?
1. Chapter 1

This is my fist LWD fic. Be gentle! :)

Pieces

**Chapter One**

Nineteen year old Derek Venturi surveyed the lawn in front of his university like a king surveying his kingdom. In all honesty, he was simply looking for his best friend, Sam, but no one had to know that. He made eye contact with a cute blonde he recognized from his psych class. She grinned and gave him a small wave. He merely nodded his head in return.

"Derek!" He nearly fell over in shock as Casey, his younger-by-only-six-months stepsister, appeared at his shoulder. "What are you doing?" She demanded. He smirked.

"Just checking out the scenery while I wait for Sam," he replied, and she rolled her eyes.

"Sam left," she said. He stared at her. "Our last class ended early, so he went for some food, but I had a test to study for." Sam also happened to be Casey's boyfriend. "Listen, can I ask you a favor? I was going to catch a ride to work with Sally, but I can't find her anywhere. Could you take me?"

"I guess so." Derek replied. The mention of Sally put him on edge. Their breakup had been civil but it still bothered him that she and Casey were friends.

"You sure you don't mind?" She continued, and he shrugged.

"No problem." She nodded warily.

"Okay, thanks then. I just need to go by my dorm and change. Are you coming?" She asked. He nodded and they started walking

Derek and Casey had an… _interesting_ relationship. Their parents had married just four years ago, and the two stubborn, hot-headed, competitive children were forced to live in the same household. The biggest problem was that their stubbornness was the _only _thing they had in common. Derek was a slacker and Casey was a keener, which put them at odds much more often than they got along. That, and Derek enjoyed getting under Casey's skin.

As they grew up, they began to reconcile their differences, at least to a point where they were civil. If anyone asked, they would still swear up and down that they hated each other, but Derek had to admit that Casey had become his best friend, after Sam of course. She kept him from stepping too far over the line, and he taught her how to live a little.

It came as a shock to everyone _but_ the two siblings when they applied to, were accepted to, and enrolled in the same university. Nora frowned her worried little frown and George begged them to reconsider, as he didn't want to see either of them end up in prison for murder. Derek and Casey simply laughed them off and eventually proved them wrong.

Derek and Sam were dorm mates, and Casey was rooming with Sally. Casey and Sam had somehow rekindled their old feelings for each other and had been going strong for a little over six months now.

"Hey, are you alive in there?" Casey was waving her hand in front of his face. Derek jolted back to the present and stared at her. They had already reached her dorm building. They slipped inside and walked up the corridor to her room.

"Sorry, I was thinking." She smirked.

"Don't do that too much. You might hurt yourself." He stuck out his tongue as she unlocked the door.

"Oh, ha, ha. That was original." Casey shrugged.

"What can I say? I like the classics." She let him into the room and disappeared into the closet.

"Do you want something to eat?" Derek nodded and headed for the refrigerator.

He was just finishing a bowl of cereal when Casey reappeared. She shook her head at him and pulled a yogurt cup out of the fridge.

"Do you ever eat anything other than cereal?" She asked as she dug in with a spoon. He shrugged.

"It tastes good and takes like five seconds to make." She nodded.

"What are you going to do tonight?" She asked.

"Hang out with Sam, as usual." Casey nodded.

"You're lucky. I really miss Emily." She was silent for several minutes. Derek had to admit he missed Emily, too. Even though her crush on him had been obnoxious at times, she was fun and, dare he admit it, pretty. He was glad Sam hadn't gone off to college in England like Em. He and Sam had been best friends since grade school.

"Yeah…"

--

At six o'clock, Derek dropped Casey off in front of the mall. She worked in one of the clothing stores as the assistant manager.

"Sam is supposed to pick me up later," she told him as she shut the door. She leaned through the open window. "Thanks again, Derek." He grinned.

"No problem." She smiled and headed for the mall doors. Derek's phone chirped and he saw that it was Sam. "What up?"

"Hey, D, is that you in front of the mall?" Derek nodded, forgetting that Sam couldn't see him.

"Yeah, I gave Casey a lift. Where are you?"

"Me and Ralph are inside eating. Go find a parking spot and get your butt in here." Derek laughed and hung up, parking his car. He found his friends in front of the burger place eating. He hadn't quite worked off the cereal from Casey's yet, so he ordered a milkshake and joined them.

"No double with cheese?" Ralph joked. Derek shrugged.

"Maybe later. So what are we doing tonight? I am _not_ wasting my Friday night at the mall." Sam laughed.

"Not to worry, D. Casey gets off at nine and then we're headed to a monster bash at the Phi Beta House." Derek raised an eyebrow.

"Casey is going to a frat party?" He asked incredulously. Sam laughed.

"Yeah, right. That's funny." He took a bite and a swig of his soda. "No, I'm gonna drop her off. She said she has all of this studying to do, or something."

"Does she know _you're _going to a frat party?" Somehow, Derek didn't think Casey would like the idea. Sam shrugged.

"Nah, no need. She'll just freak and we'll fight. It's better not to say anything." He didn't seem to care that he was essentially lying to his girlfriend, and that rubbed Derek wrong, but he said nothing.

"Well, as long as that hot chick from my biology class is there, I'll be happy," Ralph said, and Derek forced a chuckle.

"Yeah."


	2. Chapter 2

Pieces

**Chapter Two**

"You're _where_?" Derek could hear Casey's high decibels loud and clear through the phone, even though he was standing a few feet away from Sam.

"Case, it's not a big deal. It's just a small party, and I'll be home at a decent time." They were standing in a slightly dark, mostly deserted hall that Sam had fled to when Casey had called. It was much quieter there.

"A small party?" Derek whispered to Ralph, who shrugged. In all honesty, the party was a total rager. It was even too out-of-control for Derek, though he would never admit it. And the girls in attendance were anything but shy and modest. Derek hoped Sam would leave and go be with Casey, because he certainly didn't want to be stuck in the middle if this blew up.

"Casey, I swear it's nothing to worry about," Sam said as a girl in a short, tight black skirt passed by, running her hand across Sam's chest. Sam's eyes lingered on the girl's backside until she rounded the corner. "I promise. Yes. No. Yes, I'll call you as soon as I leave. Now go back to your studying, I know this test is really important to you. That's why I'm here and not there distracting you." Derek groaned inwardly. Casey was a sucker for a sweet-talker and she would definitely fall for the crap that Sam was feeding her. Sure enough, "I love you, too," Sam muttered into the phone, casting his eyes about to be sure no one – or no girls – was there to hear him.

Derek turned away as Sam said, "Yes, he is." Derek felt a tap on his shoulder and looked back to see Sam holding the phone out to him. Confused, Derek took it.

"Hello."

"Derek?" Casey sounded odd, as though she had been crying. "Is Sam listening?" She was talking quietly.

"Not really," Derek replied, making sure not to give Sam any clues hat they were talking about him. "Yeah I think she did," he said when Sam gave him a suspicious look. Casey knew him well enough to understand.

"Good. Now I need one more favor."

"You've already had two," he teased, but she didn't laugh.

"Seriously, Der. Promise me he'll be okay tonight. Tell me I shouldn't be worried." Derek froze. He was trying to think of the best way to phrase his answer so that Sam wouldn't suspect and so that he wasn't technically lying. He was also weighing the pros and cons of telling Casey that she should be worried versus Casey finding out he lied.

"It will be fine, Case. Don't worry." She let out a heavy sigh.

"Thanks, Derek, I really appreciate it. I know you don't owe me anything-"

"I know. It's cool, Casey, I've got everything taken care of."

"I'm sure," she teased. "Have fun with… whomever you meet tonight." He knew she was kidding, but her comment stung slightly. Did she really think that little of him? Not that he cared.

"I will," he said, working to keep the edge out of his voice. "Later, Case."

"Bye, Der." He snapped the phone shut and handed it back to Sam, who raised an eyebrow.

"Nora's sick and Casey's all worried." Sam continued to look suspicious.

"She didn't mention it to me," he protested. Derek shrugged.

"Maybe she didn't want to bother you with it." He hadn't meant to sound irritated, but he couldn't help himself. Sam looked taken aback.

"Oh. Well I hope she gets better soon." He tucked his phone into his pocket. "Now are we ready to party or what?" Ralph gave a mock cheer and Derek faked a grin. They followed Sam back to the main part of the house, where the music was so loud that they had to yell to hear each other, no matter how close they stood. Derek grabbed a drink from the table and sipped it. Sure enough, it was something alcoholic. Shrugging, he downed it. Ralph caught his eye and gave him a worried look, but Derek avoided it. Sam was too busy scanning the room to notice.

"I'm going to look for Priscilla," Ralph said. "She told me she'd be here." Derek nodded absentmindedly and sank onto a chair as Ralph disappeared. Sam gave him an annoyed look.

"Are you just going to sit there? The guys have an air hockey tournament going on in the other room." Derek shrugged again.

"I'll be there in a minute." Shaking his head, Sam walked away. Barely seconds after he left, two giggling girls plopped themselves on either arm of Derek's chair. One was the blonde from his psych class. The other looked identical to her.

"Hey, it's Derek, right?" Psych girl asked. Her friend blushed as Derek studied both of them.

"Yeah, but you can call me D," he replied with his usual smirk. They giggled, the friend blushing even more.

"I'm Amy," Psych girl informed him with a huge smile. "This is my friend Lindsey." Derek slid one arm around each girl's waist.

"Well, I'm looking forward to knowing both of you." Neither girl caught his meaning, but it didn't matter. They would eventually.

Forty-five minutes later, both girls were drunk from the punch and annoyingly giddy. Derek was stone-cold sober and miserable. After the first cup, he hadn't had a drop to drink and the girls, whose drinking was inversely related to their appeal, had touched his last nerve. Amy seemed to finally notice through her drunken haze that Derek was less than pleased.

"D? What's the matter?" Her face as very close to his and he realized that the closer his view of her, the less he found her attractive. She slid off of the arm into his lap, and he jumped to his feet.

"D?" Lindsey asked. He ignored her. "Derek?" She was no longer smiling and looked concerned. Amy was alternating between pouting and giggling.

"I gotta go," Derek mumbled, avoiding Lindsey's impressively focused gaze. He hurried through the house to the game room. Two frat brothers were playing an intense game of air hockey, but Sam was nowhere to be found. Backtracking to the kitchen, Derek found Ralph leaning on the counter and talking to a pretty brunette perched on the edge.

"Hey, D!" Ralph said. He had a beer in his hand but it was only half empty; the girl was perfectly sober and smiling brightly.

"So _you're_ Derek, huh?" She asked. Derek nodded. "Ralph's told me all about you." Derek shot Ralph a sharp look, but he only shrugged innocently.

"Hopefully good stuff," Derek replied. He wasn't really in the mood to joke, but he made an effort for Ralph's sake. She smirked.

"Not really, but that's okay." Ralph, interpreting Derek's expression, placed a hand on the girl's knee, successfully distracting her. She smiled and laced her fingers through his.

"Umm, listen, Ralph, I'm out. Will you tell Sam?" Ralph nodded, looking concerned, but Derek didn't elaborate. "It was nice meeting you…" he trailed off, and the girl smiled.

"Priscilla," she offered, and he nodded.

"Nice meeting you, Priscilla," he finished, and he turned to leave. "Tell Sam not to wake me, either," he called to Ralph as he walked away.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thanks for the reviews, everyone! I won't say how it's going to end (Dasey, not Dasey) because I'm mean like that. As for Sam... well, I won't say because I don't want to give anything away.

**Tarryn**- of course I included Ralph! I LOVE Ralph. He won't have a lot of "screentime" but I enjoy writing him. Anyway, I'm glad you like it!

Pieces

**Chapter Three**

Derek awoke the next morning with a headache, which he found odd considering he had consumed only one drink. He was immensely glad it was Saturday, though he wondered what time Sam had staggered in. It occurred to him that he had broken his promise to Casey. He had promise to stay and take care of Sam, but he had left. He just hoped Sam hadn't done anything stupid.

Jolting upward, he suddenly remembered Lizzie's soccer game. It was sometime in the early afternoon and he had promised to be there, cheering her on. He checked his bedside clock and was instantly relieved; it was barely after ten.

He stumbled to the kitchen and poured a bowl of cereal, wishing Edwin were around to make him eggs. He could use the energy this morning. He was halfway through his breakfast and an episode of a cartoon when Sam appeared, looking wide-eyed and nervous.

"Hey, up already, huh?" He asked, much too cheerful for the morning after a frat party. Derek eyed him.

"Yeah, it's nearly eleven. I've got to be at my parents by noon for Lizzie's soccer game." Sam's face lit up.

"Oh, yeah! Great. I mean, have fun. I'm, umm, I'm going back to bed for a little while." Derek raised an eyebrow, but he was still too groggy to care enough to delve deeper into the situation. Sam disappeared back into his bedroom and Derek distinctly heard the lock click.

Derek would later realize that this was one of many obtuse moments in not recognizing what was happening that weekend, but for the moment he was clueless and careless.

At five past twelve, Derek opened the door into the familiar living room of his childhood. Casey would argue that he was still a child, he thought with a smile.

Marti came bounding down the stairs, her hair in a ponytail and a "GO LIZZIE!" sign dangling from her right hand. Seeing Derek, she shrieked, dropped the sign, and jumped the last two steps into his arms.

"Heya, Smarti!" He teased. He spun her around before setting her back on the ground.

"Hi, Smerek!" She replied with a toothy grin. He couldn't believe she was nearly eleven. "Are you here for Lizzie's game?" He nodded and followed her into the kitchen, where his dad and Nora were filling a cooler with sports drinks and granola bars.

"I thought the half-time snack stopped when she became a teenager?" Derek teased, and George Venturi rolled his eyes.

"Good to see you, too, Derek." Nora gave him a small hug and he swiped a granola bar from the cooler.

"Der-ek!" Lizzie came around from behind him and snatched the bar out of his hand. Turning fully, Derek saw Casey standing in the doorway and smiled, feeling a tinge of guilt. She smiled back, her face showing no signs of anything being amiss, and he relaxed an iota.

"Good to see you, too, Lizzard," Derek joked, grabbing her in a headlock. She wrestled out, smiling.

"Shut up, Smelly," she teased back as she pulled her short hair back with a headband. She had chopped it to her chin the day after she turned sixteen, much to Casey's dismay. Lizzie looked more like Nora everyday. Casey, on the other hand, was her father's child through and through.

"So are we ready to go or what?" Edwin asked, appearing next to Casey. Nora nodded, closing the cooler lid.

"Oh, I forgot my armband!" Lizzie said, racing for the stairs. Ten minutes later, they were piling into the van. Derek was surprised to find himself wedged in the far backseat between Marti and the window. Casey was on Marti's other side. Edwin was in the middle seat with Lizzie and they were deep in conversation about something.

The ride was short, but Derek had never been so glad to get out of the van. Marti had talked his ear off the entire time about her friends at school. Casey spent the ride shooting amused glances at them and answering Edwin's never-ending questions about university courses.

"Glad that's over," Casey muttered as she took as seat next to him on the bleachers. Lizzie had already joined her team on the field and Edwin, Marti, and their parents were getting seated in front of them. Derek grinned.

"You and me both," he agreed quietly.

The game progressed well, with Lizzie's team outplaying the other significantly, but neither team had scored. This was an important game; the winner advanced to the second round of play-offs.

With five minutes left in the game, Lizzie's team had possession of the ball and Lizzie, their star forward, was sprinting up the opposite side of the field. The ball was crossed and Lizzie went headfirst into it. Unfortunately, so did the defender. The girls collided and fell, the ball soaring out of bounds.

Casey grabbed his arm, her face worried as she squinted across the field at Lizzie, who was lying face down in the grass. The other girl sat up, looking dazed, and Derek and Casey exhaled simultaneously when Lizzie pulled herself to her knees.

Lizzie's coach called her name, but Lizzie waved her off, and the referee called for a penalty kick. Lizzie nodded that she would take the kick and got into position as the ref blew his whistle three times, signaling the end of the game. That meant that if Lizzie missed, they would go into overtime. If she made it, they would advance.

Derek was shocked when Casey's hand slipped into his. She was watching Lizzie so intensely that it scared him. He squeezed her fingers gently and she smiled slightly.

Lizzie took the shot and the crowd held their breath as the ball sailed toward the goal, right past the goalkeeper's outstretched fingers. Derek, Casey, and everyone else on their side of the field jumped to their feet, cheering. It took less than a second for Casey to realize they were still holding hands, and she let go, blushing. Derek avoided her gaze and went on cheering for Lizzie.

He made sure to ride home next to Edwin in the middle seat. Casey and Lizzie were squished into the back seat and whispered furiously throughout the trip. They made a stop for hamburgers and then finally pulled into the driveway. Derek was the first out of the car and so was the only one to notice the exchange between Lizzie and Casey as they climbed out. Casey looked upset and apologetic; Lizzie looked furious. Casey reached for her younger sister's arm, but Lizzie pulled away and stomped into the house, racing up to her room.

Casey hesitated, and then followed. George and Nora seemed blissfully unaware as they carried the cooler inside and set to emptying it. Edwin dropped onto the couch and flicked on the TV, Marti joining him. Derek glanced at the stairs and back at his brother and sister before heading up. He stopped just outside Lizzie's door.

"I'm sorry, Liz, I didn't mean-"

"Yeah, whatever, Casey. I don't want to talk about this anymore."

"But Liz, if you would just try to understand-"

"Understand?" Derek had never heard Lizzie sound so angry and disgusted. What were they talking about? "I don't want to understand, Casey. It's sick and it's weird and it's wrong. And I don't want any part of it. If that's what you're doing, then I don't want any part of you." Casey gave a small gasp and, by the sound of it, began to cry.

"Liz, please-"

"Get out, Casey. Now." Derek raced up the stairs toward the attic and hid himself on the landing just in time. Casey came out of Lizzie's room, her face red and blotchy, and locked herself in the bathroom.

Derek sneaked back down the stairs just as Lizzie came out of her room. She raised an eyebrow.

"I- uh, I was getting something for Edwin." She didn't respond, but gave him a hard look and walked away. Confused, Derek followed her downstairs. Lizzie didn't even bother to collaborate his story with Edwin; she went straight through the kitchen and out the back door.

A few seconds later, Casey came down, her face normal and her features composed. She entered the kitchen and Derek heard her saying goodbye to his dad and Nora. She left without so much as glancing his way.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: So I think some people are going to REALLY like this chapter. Just saying. But then you'll hate me later. Or maybe not? Who knows?**

**Also, thanks everyone for the reviews. They make me want to continue the story. :)**** Warning – this chapter is a long one, so get settled in!**

Pieces

**Chapter Four**

Derek spent the weekend calling Casey with no response. He even dropped by her place, only to be informed by a not-so-nice-Sally that Casey wasn't there. He doubted whether that had been true, but didn't press the issue.

He didn't see any of Sam that weekend either, which he found odd, considering they lived together. He called Ralph on Sunday afternoon.

"Hey man," Ralph said, his voice low. "Can I call you back later? Priscilla and me are at the movies and it's about to start."

"Yeah sure." They hung up. Derek didn't expect a call back, especially since Ralph was with Priscilla. He was sure this was the start of a beautiful new obsession for Ralph.

Monday morning came too quickly for Derek, and he moped as he changed for class. He heard a lot of noise coming from Sam's room as he passed by, bag in hand. He knocked on the door and the noise stopped abruptly.

"Yeah?" Sam called.

"I'm heading to class. You riding with me or on your own?" Derek called through the door, which he could see was again locked. _Sam never even shuts his door, much less locks it_.

"Nah, I'll catch up with you there. I overslept." Derek shrugged.

"Okay, then."

After his first class, Derek headed for the courtyard. His next class didn't start for thirty minutes, so he slumped onto a bench and pulled out his textbook. He was pretty sure the professor was going to spring a quiz on them.

He was halfway through the chapter when someone joined him on the bench. Glancing up, he recognized Lindsey from the party.

"Hey," she said softly. He went back to his book.

"Hi," he replied. He didn't want to be rude, but he wasn't really interested.

Wait. Derek Venturi wasn't interested in a pretty girl? For the second time in a row? What had happened to him?

She was silent for a minute. Then, she placed her hand, palm down, on the page he was reading. He had no choice but to look at her.

"Can I just say I'm sorry about Friday?" He stared at her.

"Sorry for what?" He asked. She looked down at the ground, scuffing her shoes together.

"For acting like a drunken ditz. I'm not usually like that, but I needed a pick me up that night." She made eye contact again, looking amused and embarrassed at the same time. "Amy swore I would have fun, but all I wanted to do was leave, except when you were talking to us." Derek managed a sincere smile.

"I know how you feel. It sucked for me, too. My friend dragged me there." She nodded in understanding. "To tell you the truth, I normally would have been all over both of you. I just wasn't into all of that on Friday. I don't even know why." Lindsey smiled.

"Well I sort of hope it wasn't a fleeting moment for you, because I was impressed." She glanced around the lawns and waved to a girl who waved back. "Not to sound conceited, but I don't get turned down a lot. It was kind of a nice change." She flipped her hair over her shoulder and Derek raised on eyebrow, unsure of how to respond. He opened his mouth, but no words came out. Normally, that kind of attitude attracted him, but now it made him want to run. Far away.

She noticed his expression finally and laughed. "Oh, Derek, really? I'm kidding! Amy told me about you, you know." Now Derek really was stunned.

"What do you mean, she 'told you about me'?" He demanded. "I don't even know her." Lindsey smiled.

"No, but she knows you. It's kind of weird, really, she has this huge crush on you. She said you were really confident, but Amy has this little world of her own and generally that means normal people would consider you arrogant." Derek groaned.

"Ugh. I think you would get along really well with my step-sister." She looked intrigued.

"Step-sister?"

Derek shook his head. "No way, I'm not getting you two together. I'd never hear the end of it. She goes here, though. We're only like six months apart. Our parents got married a few years ago." Lindsey smiled.

"She sounds cool. Although, I don't think you're arrogant. I was only teasing you. That's just the sort of guy Amy usually goes for, so I assumed… but you made it pretty clear on Friday night that Amy misjudged you." She crossed her legs toward him and Derek noticed the subtle little gesture, though he wasn't entirely sure it was intentional.

"Well, thanks, I guess," he joked, warming up to her. She wasn't so bad, and she was prettier than he'd seen Friday night. Over her shoulder, he saw Sam walking toward the fountain. He started to wave before he realized Sam wasn't looking – or walking – his way. Didn't Sam have Biology with Casey? Glancing at his watch, he saw that their class was over, but he was still confused as to why Sam was alone.

_You're jumping to conclusions, Venturi_, he scolded himself. Casey had probably gone off to study. That made sense.

Lindsey must have noticed that she had lost his attention, and when she saw his slight hand movement, she followed his gaze to the fountain.

"Friend of yours?" She asked. Derek nodded.

"He's been my best friend since grade school. He's also my roommate, who I haven't seen since Friday." Lindsey seemed to catch on.

"He's the friend who dragged you to the party?" She inquired and Derek nodded, still watching Sam, who was approaching a girl seated on the edge of the fountain. A gorgeous girl. A girl who most definitely was NOT Casey.

"Yeah. He's also my step-sister's boyfriend of six months." Lindsey seemed confused by his harsh tone and angry expression, but then she said, "I'm guessing that's not your step-sister." Derek merely nodded as the girl wrapped her arms around Sam's waist and hugged him way too tightly. Sam looked around before leaning down and kissing her.

Derek was on his feet and across the lawn faster than the blink of an eye. Later, he would try to recall how he got there so quickly, but as he approached his now ex-best friend, who was smiling nervously, there was only one thought on his mind: Casey. He could just imagine her face when she found out her boyfriend was a cheating scumbag.

"D, what's up?" Sam asked, raising his hand for a high-five, but Derek slapped it out of the way and shoved Sam back toward the fountain.

"What the hell?" The girl, who he recognized from Friday's party, snapped at him, but Derek didn't even glance her way.

"It's all right, Crystal," Sam said, trying to pass it off as a joke, but Derek wasn't going to play along.

"What is wrong with you?" He shouted at Sam, who was trying to pull off a bewildered look and failing. Glancing shiftily from side-to-side, he dropped the act.

"Derek, drop it and we'll talk about it later, _in private_," he hissed, but Derek was in no mood to be accommodating.

"No. God, Sam, when did you turn into this?" Sam crossed his arms.

"Oh please, 'Triple D' Derek Venturi is lecturing me about how to treat girls? You have no room to talk here, and you know it!"

Derek glared at him. "That's different. This isn't just any random girl we're talking about, this is Casey! She's different and you know it." The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them, and he felt his face growing hot as Sam eyed him suspiciously, comprehension slowly dawning.

"Oh my God," he said, and Derek shook his head.

"That's not what I meant-" he tried to protest, but Sam wasn't listening.

"How did I miss this?" He gave Derek a disgusted look. "That's sick, man, really sick!" He took a step back, as though trying to avoid catching something.

"Shut up, Sam," Derek snapped, but his words only fueled Sam on.

"Is this some kind of weird fantasy of yours or is she in on it?" He seemed to be working through conclusions in his head and blurting them out as they came to him. "Oh my god, she knows, doesn't she? Am I just some kind of cover for your sick relationship?" Derek's hands balled into fists, almost of their own volition. If Sam called him or Casey "sick" one more time, he was going to lose it.

"Just shut up Sam. You don't know what the hell you're talking about!"

But Sam was beyond reason. His face screwed up in anger and disgust, he snapped, "How long has this been going on? Since before you went to university? Did she sneak into your room at night to-?"

Crack. That was the sound of Sam's nose breaking as Derek's knuckles collided with it. Sam hit the ground hard, and Crystal started shrieking at the sight of all of the blood.

"Der-ek!" Normally Derek loved hearing that sound. It meant he had annoyed Casey and would get to annoy her some more. In this instance, he would have given anything for Casey to not see. But she did; she was running up behind him, past him, and kneeling at Sam's side. It was at that point that Derek became aware that the world still existed outside of his and Sam's conversation, and they had attracted a crowd, including Lindsey. Most of the onlookers were staring in disgust at Derek, probably believing all of the things Sam had been shouting. He prayed Casey hadn't heard, but the look on her face wasn't shock or disgust, it was anger and disbelief. She had only seen Derek throw the punch.

Lindsey was watching Derek carefully, but her expression was neutral and unreadable. He avoided her gaze, not wanting to see her eyes turn dark with disgust.

Casey was helping Sam sit up and glaring at Derek. Once she was satisfied that Sam was all right, she rounded on Derek.

"What is wrong with you?" She demanded. Derek stood his ground.

"Casey, there's something you need to know." She grew quiet and watched him carefully. Sam was glaring at Derek, daring him to continue. Derek glared back defiantly. "Sam is cheating on you." He watched her face carefully. Her expression went from mild surprise to anger to sorrow. Somehow, shock or disbelief was not in her mind.

"That's not true, Casey!" Sam said quickly, obviously catching her expression and realizing that she was buying it. "He's just jealous because we spend so much time together. He never was supportive of us, you know that!" Derek saw that Casey was conflicted. It was true; Derek had never really liked the idea of Casey and Sam together. At first he had thought it was because he didn't want to lose his best friend, but he was no longer sure of that.

"It is true," a quiet voice broke the silence and Derek sent Lindsey a grateful look. "I saw them-" she pointed at Sam and Crystal, who was slowly backing away- "kissing and then Derek stood up for you." Crystal and Sam both glared at Lindsey, but Casey only stared at her as though she had revealed that the sky was blue. She turned to Sam, who held up his hands.

"I don't know why Derek and his new girlfriend are lying, Casey, but they are. If you don't believe me, then fine. I'm out of here." He stalked off. At the word "girlfriend", Casey had glanced sharply at Lindsey before her eyes clouded over, projecting sadness. Confused, Derek started to say something, but Casey turned and walked quickly away.

Derek ran after her. "Casey, wait!" She didn't stop until he caught her and grabbed her arm. Now that they were out of sight and hearing of the crowd, they could actually talk. Casey yanked her arm away.

"Leave me alone, Derek," she snapped. He recoiled at her tone.

"You don't believe _him_, do you?" He asked incredulously.

She sighed. "I don't know _what_ to believe! You lied to me, Derek. You told me I shouldn't worry, that everything would be fine!" Derek looked away.

"Casey-"

"And Sam is right. You've never liked the idea of us dating. For godsake, Derek, we're nineteen, not twelve! I'm not going to steal your best friend from you."

"I don't care about him!" Derek shot back, unable to stop himself. Casey stepped back, shocked. Derek clapped a hand over his mouth, his eyes wide.

"What?" She whispered. He shook his head, knowing he was fighting a losing battle.

"I- I don't care about him, Casey. I care about you. It's… it's always been about you." He didn't know where the words were coming from or why. He was almost as stunned by the revelation as she. But as he stood there, looking at her, he finally realized it. Sam was his friend, sure, but from the beginning of this twisted triangle it had always been about Casey. Casey was in the middle. Not Sam.

"I don't know what to say," she whispered, still stunned. "Derek, I can't. W-we can't." He shook his head, now shocked right along with her. He hadn't expected that. Now it all made sense: her reaction to holding his hand at the game, her expressions during the fight with Sam, the look she'd given Lindsey… and her fight with Lizzie.

"That's what that was about," he said, finally understanding.

"What what was about?" Casey demanded, though he could tell she knew.

"Your fight with Lizzie. I heard you, Case. I didn't mean to overhear – okay, that's a lie. I meant to hear. I'm sorry." Casey shook her head, tears in her eyes.

"No, Derek. The answer is no."

"The answer to what?" He asked, bewildered. Her eyes were a mixture of sorrow, defiance, and a hint of regret.

"You know what, Derek. We can't, okay? We just can't." He reached out to her, but she shied away.

"Casey," he pleaded, not even caring. He had never really minded begging Casey for anything. She shook her head.

"You heard Lizzie," she replied brokenly, her voice so soft he could barely hear her. "You saw the look on everyone's face over there. It's wrong, Derek, everyone thinks-"

"I don't care what they think, Casey! I don't care about anyone else!" He reached for her arm again; this time she didn't pull away. "What do you think? Does it feel wrong to you?" She looked away, her eyes spilling over. "Casey, those other people don't matter. You matter. I matter. Everyone else can kiss our-"

"Derek," she said, choking back a half-giggle, half-sob. "Stop, please. Just let it go, okay? Our family does matter, and you know it. Lizzie is the sensible one. Imagine how the others will react. What about Marti? She'd never understand, Derek. We can't do that to them. It isn't just about us. I'm sorry." She pulled out of his grasp and walked away, leaving him more alone than he'd ever been.

**A/N #2: jonasbrotherlover and katmac1, you are very obviously mind readers. I'm putting on my tinfoil hat when I write the next chapter!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I'm not really sure about this chapter, but it was necessary. Tell me what you think. I don't really _dis_like it, but it is definitely not my favorite. Eh, oh well!**

**IsaDoraKnight – **Thanks for your review. :) I get what you're saying about the paragraphs but I think it's more of a preference/style thing than a grammatical rule. It's just how I like to write. I'm sorry if it's confusing!

**Lanter – **I love Lindsey. I honestly don't know where she came from and I didn't plan to make her a central part of the story. She just kind of wormed her way in. :) She kind of writes herself, you know? And the more she does, the more I like her. Plus, Derek really needs a friend right now!

Pieces

**Chapter Five**

"Derek?" He lifted his head at the sound of his name. He was seated on a bench at a deserted park near the school. He wasn't sure how Lindsey had found him and he didn't care. Mostly he wanted her to leave him alone. Instead, she sat down next to him. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" He asked, glancing up at her but not making eye contact. She placed her hand on his shoulder, her body turned toward him but her expression pitying. He didn't want her pity but he didn't want to be alone now that he knew someone was on his side. "You did nothing wrong."

She smiled sadly. "I'm sorry you have to go through this. Not because I feel responsible but because I feel your pain. I kind of felt like we were starting to become friends. Or maybe hoped. And I don't like seeing my friends in pain." He almost smiled at that.

"Thanks," he said quietly. "So you don't think I'm a freak like everyone else?"

"You're not a freak, Derek. It's a little unorthodox, sure, but you can't help who you love, trust me."

"Love?" He asked, panicking slightly. "No one said anything about love!" She rolled her eyes.

"You didn't have to," she replied. "It shows. Come on, Derek, you decked your best friend of more than ten years in her defense. That goes beyond 'brotherly' affection. I'm going to wager a guess that you never really felt 'brotherly' toward Casey." He shook his head, groaning.

"This is so messed up," he complained. "Things are never going to be the same. Our younger sister, Lizzie, already knows. Casey told her and she freaked. I can't even imagine what our parents would say." Lindsey gave him a small smile.

"Well, I'm not a parent, so this is just a guess, but I kind of think they would want you to be happy. And maybe they might try to be understanding. I mean, this is just my humble opinion, but it is partly their fault."

Surprised, Derek looked right at her. "How do you figure?" She shrugged.

"Think about it. They got married and threw two fifteen year olds into a house together, one of those fifteen year olds being you. They should have at least been prepared for something like this. They would have to be clueless to not at least consider the possibility." Derek cocked his head to one side, studying her while thinking over her words.

"I guess I never thought of it that way. I don't know, if it had been anyone else to become my step-sister, this wouldn't have happened. Casey is just…"

"Right," she finished for him, and he nodded. "It seems like you really care about her, Derek. Maybe even more than you realize. I think if you care that deeply, then you should fight for her."

"You think so?" He mused.

"Is she worth it?" Lindsey asked. He didn't answer right away, but considered the question very carefully. He imagined losing everything; their parents disowning them, Edwin, Lizzie and Marti turning away from them, losing all of their friends. He loved his family, no matter what he pretended for the sake of being cool. He thought about what life would be like with his family. Then, he realized that he wasn't including Casey in that scenario.

"She's supposed to be part of my family," he said, more to himself than to Lindsey, but she gazed at him thoughtfully.

"What do you mean?"

Derek shrugged, shaking his head. "I was thinking about what you said, about whether Casey was worth it. I weighed it against losing my family. And then I realized that I wasn't including Casey as part of my family.

"That sounds like an insult, but it's not. She's just… she's more than that." He buried his head in his hands again. "I think you're right. I think I do love her. And I think she's worth everything to me." Lindsey pulled his arms away from his face.

"You think?" She repeated, her expression kind. He shook his head.

"I know."

--

For two days, Casey avoided Derek at all costs. He even tried leaving class early to catch her coming out of hers. It was then that one of her classmates informed him that Casey had transferred to another class. No, she couldn't and wouldn't tell him which one. No, she wouldn't relay a message to Casey for him.

Frustrated, Derek turned to another source: Sally. This did not prove anymore successful. The first time he knocked at their apartment, Sally slammed the door in his face. The second time, she informed him in a stiff, monotonous voice that Casey was not home and Sally would not tell her that Derek had stopped by.

The third time was almost the charm.

"What do you want, Derek? Casey isn't here and even if she was, I wouldn't let you in to talk to her." He sighed.

"Would you let me in to talk to you?" He asked. She eyed him for a moment before opening the door all of the way and allowing him access. He plopped down on their couch and waited for Sally to settle down in one of the armchairs before speaking.

"Look, I know you probably hate me-"

"Why would I hate you?" She asked. "I mean, besides the whole you-and-me thing?" He was startled by her interruption and by her words. Maybe Casey hadn't told Sally the entire story. He had assumed so based on his less than warm reception, but now it seemed there was another reason for that.

"I don't know," Derek evaded, hoping to find the right words to make her talk without giving himself away. "You're the one who slammed the door in my face." She rolled her eyes.

"And you don't think you deserved that?" She demanded. He shook his head slightly.

"No?" He ventured. She sighed.

"Come on, Derek. You lied to Casey. Her boyfriend was cheating on her and you didn't tell her! What kind of brother are you? You told her when that Scott guy was playing her, why wouldn't you tell her about Sam?" Derek was shocked.

"I- First of all, how do you know about Scott?"

She shrugged. "Casey told me. After Lizzie told me. After Edwin told me. I think the latter two were trying to talk you up." Derek almost smiled at that.

"Oh. Well, secondly, I did not lie to Casey. I found out Sam was cheating on her right before I decked him. I told her as soon as she came on the scene." Now Sally looked confused.

"Well that's odd. She made it sound as though you knew for days and kept it from her. I told her it was probably because you were trying to find the right moment or the right way to tell her, but she just shrugged that off." Derek nodded noncommittally. Now he would need to find out if Casey really thought that or if she was simply pacifying Sally, who was annoyingly curious.

"Anyway," Sally continued, "about this thing between you and Casey-" Derek stood up so fast he nearly fell over.

"Whoa, what?! You know about that?" Sally nodded.

"Duh! Don't worry, Derek, I'm not going to tell your family or anything. Though Sam is probably mad enough to do that."

Derek was still shocked and bewildered. "But- but you said you were only mad about me supposedly lying to Casey." Sally stared at him.

"I was only mad about that. Derek, what is wrong with you? Why would I be mad about you having feelings for Casey?" Derek sat down, more stunned than ever.

"I-uh, I guess you wouldn't. I figured- I mean, the way Sam reacted…" he trailed off, unable to form a coherent thought. Sally shook her head.

"Yeah, and Sam is your best friend and Casey's boyfriend. Or was. Anyway, he had plenty of reason to be angry if he thought there was something going on. Which apparently there isn't?" Derek shook his head. "Okay, that's what I thought.

"I can't believe you're not mad or weirded out or anything," Derek said. Sally shrugged.

"To be honest, I kind of knew a long time ago. I could just tell, I guess. That's part of the reason we broke up. I was afraid maybe you were using me to get over her? I mean, it was the other stuff we talked about, too, but that was part of it." Derek didn't know what to say or think.

"I- wow." He just stared at her.

"At first I thought it was a little weird, I guess. But I know your history, or I should say lack thereof with Casey. If you were blood-related, or if you had grown up together I think it would be different, but you met her at the most hormonal time of your life. It kind of makes sense." Derek flushed. He didn't want to discuss his hormones with Sally, especially not as they related to Casey.

"I guess. Lindsey said pretty much the same thing the other day."

"Who's Lindsey?" Sally asked, mildly interested. Derek shook his head.

"Just a friend. Anyway, thanks for being so cool about this, really. I don't know how we're going to handle this once it gets out to other people."

"Who else knows, besides half of the college?" Sally asked. Derek sighed and ticked off the list.

"Well, Lindsey, Sam of course, you, and Lizzie."

"Lizzie knows?" Sally asked, looking shocked.

"Well, either Casey told her or Lizzie is as smart as you. Either way, they had a huge fight about it last weekend. Lizzie completely flipped out. It was scary._ I_ was terrified of her, and I was on the other side of the door." Sally beamed at the 'smart' comment, but grew somber at Lizzie's reaction.

"I'm surprised she reacted that way. Lizzie is usually so level-headed. It breaks my heart that she went off on Casey that way." Derek nodded.

"You're telling me. It's Lizzie's reaction that has Casey so afraid of all this. She's terrified of our parent's reactions; and especially Marti's reaction. She's only eleven. How could she possibly understand?" He let his shoulder droop and put one hand to his forehead.

"It's not as bad as you think, Der," Sally soothed. "Maybe that was Lizzie's cursory reaction. Maybe once she's had time to absorb this and think it over, she'll be more accepting of it. And if the rest of your family stands by you, then you won't have to explain anything to Marti. If your family doesn't give her reason to think anything about it then she won't. When she gets older, she'll understand the difference."

"You really are smart," Derek said with a small smile, and Sally smiled back.

"Thanks. Of course, that all hinges on your family understanding. But if I know them as well as I think I do, then I have a feeling they will."

"That's if Casey is willing to give this a try. I can't tell them without her. I won't." Sally nodded.

"Of course not," she replied. "Just give her some time, Derek, she'll come around. When she does, then you'd better fight for her." He nodded. "In the meantime, I'll put in a good word for you." He couldn't help but smile.

"Thanks Sally. I really mean it." She shrugged.

"Don't mention it."

**A/N: I think it's not my favorite because of Sally. I needed her for this story, but I don't like her. Or maybe the chapter just sucks.**


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: So this one is kind of short, but I think it says everything it needs to say. :Grins wickedly: Anyway, thanks again for all of the wonderful reviews. I agree, I don't like Sally on the show at all. I tried to write her more like the Season 3 Sally, whom I at least somewhat respected. Season 4 Sally… ick.

Pieces

**Chapter Six**

"Derek!" He turned and saw Lindsey heading his way. She handed him a granola bar and an energy drink. He accepted both with a smile and a "Thanks".

Midterms: The bane of university life, and the enemy of sleep.

"You ready?" It was Friday morning, he was headed to his psychology midterm, and he was beyond nervous. He needed desperately to do well.

Since Sam had switched dorms and Casey was maintaining a safe distance, Derek found himself spending a lot of time with Lindsey and enjoying it. She was comforting and supportive through his issues with Casey, and she was incredibly smart. They'd been up all night going over the material for his exam this morning, and he felt a twinge of guilt at the puffy bags under her eyes, courtesy of him.

She smiled and popped open her soda as they walked, sipping it slowly. He opened the granola bar and ate half of it in one bite, feeling ravenous suddenly.

"Thanks again for helping me study," Derek said, swallowing the bite. She shrugged.

"It's no problem. I took Psychology last semester and I still remember most of it." She smiled again, but he could tell she was tired.

"Well, let's just hope I can pass this class. I don't want to have to take it again." She patted his shoulder.

"You'll pass. You know this stuff. Just relax and focus on one problem at a time, like we talked about." They reached the door and, on impulse, he hugged her.

"Wish me luck," he joked. She shook her head.

"You don't need it."

She was right. Thanks to her study methods, he could clearly remember all of the material and whizzed through the test. He wasn't used to doing so well and caught himself by surprise when he turned the page and found it was the last one.

As he marked his final answer and closed the booklet, a flash of movement one chair up and over to the left caught his eye. Amy was sitting there, only halfway through her test. He saw what had distracted him; she had moved her paper so that he could see the bottom corner. There was a lot of writing, but one word he could make out clearly: his name.

This intrigued him and so he leaned forward slightly, squinting at the paper, trying to decipher the nearly illegible handwriting-

Amy glanced back and caught him looking. Her eyes narrowed and she slid the paper out of sight. "What are you looking at?" She demanded in a low voice. He held his hands up and feigned ignorance. Their professor saw them interacting and came down the aisle.

"This is an exam," Professor Harman said quietly. "I hope there is a good reason for this conversation." Derek shook his head and started to protest, but Amy beat him to it.

"He was looking at my answers," she accused angrily. Derek stared at her incredulously.

"I was not!" He shot back, forgetting to keep his voice down. "She had a piece of paper with some writing on it and I saw my name! I was just curious about that, I couldn't even see her test!" Amy rolled her eyes.

"I don't have any paper on my desk but my test," she replied haughtily. She leaned back and the extra paper was nowhere to be seen. Confused and suddenly nervous, Derek replied, "but it was there, I saw it!" Professor Harman shook his head.

"Why would I have a paper with you name on it?" Amy was really pulling out the punches. Derek just couldn't figure her motive. "That doesn't even make sense." Derek glared at her.

"What doesn't make sense is why I would cheat off of you!" She gasped, and he realized his words. "That's not what I meant-" but she cut him off.

"If I'm stupid and you're cheating off of me, what does that make you?" She snapped.

"I meant that I'm already finished! You were only halfway through. How could I cheat off of you?" Amy smirked at him.

"I thought you couldn't see my test from there." She had him. _Crap_, he thought. Professor Harman was looking down at him in surprise and suspicion. "Besides, I _am_ finished." She flashed him the last page; sure enough, all of her answers were marked. She closed it before he could tell if they were correct or not. "I was going back through to check my answers."

Derek began to panic. He hadn't cheated, but his grades were only average and he knew he had done exceptionally well on this exam. That, combined with the disappearance of the mysterious paper made the situation bad. VERY bad.

"Derek, come with me," Professor Harman said, picking up Derek's test. Derek followed glumly, trying to think of something he could say to save himself, but he was blanking horribly.

They exited the building and entered the administration offices. He was going to see the Dean.

"Sir," Derek pleaded quietly. "I swear to you I did not cheat off of her. I don't know what she did with the other paper, but it was there. You have to believe me." Professor Harman shook his head.

"I'm sorry, Derek, but it's out of my hands now. Dean Granger will have to investigate the situation." Derek nodded and followed him silently to the heavy wooden door with the gilded name plate. Harman knocked and the door was opened by a tiny, white haired woman. She nodded at Professor Harman and allowed them inside.

They sat in stuffed leather chairs with dark wooden frames. The chairs were actually fairly comfortable, but Derek was too nervous to notice. This could be the end of his academic career. What would he do then?

_What will Casey think?_


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Another short one, I'm sorry! The next one is good and long, so you'll be satisfied. I promise!

Pieces

**Chapter Seven**

"I just can't believe you, Derek, I can't. It was one thing to cheat in high school, but you have to know how serious this is!" George Venturi was not a fun person when he was angry. But Derek wasn't worried about his dad's anger. He was worried about losing his dad's trust.

"Dad, I know how serious this is, trust me. But I didn't cheat!" George sighed.

"Derek, you were caught red-handed. Even I can't get you out of this one." Dean Granger had suspended him for two weeks, or however long the investigation lasted. If they decided he was guilty, he would be expelled.

"I swear, dad, she had a piece of paper on her desk that said my name on it! I was trying to read the rest of it. By the time the professor got to us, she had gotten rid of it."

"They checked her bag, Derek. There was no paper of that description. Are you going to tell me she made it disappear now?" Derek threw his hands up in the air.

"I don't know, dad, okay? I don't know what she did with it. But it exists. I'm not crazy, and I'm not a- I'm not lying." He wanted to say he wasn't a liar, but that in and of itself was not entirely true. George merely shook his head at the rewording and left the room. Derek sank onto the couch and pulled a pillow over his face, groaning in frustration.

He lay there with his face covered for about ten minutes before the front door opened. He felt the springs of the couch depress and knew someone had sat down next to him. Taking a deep breath, he removed the pillow.

Casey didn't speak at first. Her expression told him she was considering her words carefully. He didn't give her the chance.

"I didn't do it, Casey. I didn't. They're only still investigating because I aced the test. I studied like crazy, ask Lindsey!" Casey held up her hand to stop his tidal wave of words.

"If – and I'm not saying you did – but IF you cheated, I just have to say that I would be extremely disappointed in you and I would in no way help you out of the situation. So you had better not be lying to me-"

"I'm not-"

"If you're telling the truth," she cut him off, "then I would be willing to help you get to the bottom of this and prove that you're innocent." She smiled, almost shyly, and Derek felt as though a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Casey was on his side!

"I swear to you, Casey, on everything – on us," he added softly, "that I did not cheat. I earned that A, and I'm going to fight for it. But I could use your help."

"There is no 'us'," she corrected him quietly, but she protested nothing else and suddenly everything seemed brighter. Casey believed him, and that was worth whatever it would take to prove his was telling the truth.

"Thank you," Derek said. Casey nodded solemnly at him and left the room. As she did, Derek whispered, "There should be."

--

The next day, Lindsey called. Derek was worried she would be mad, that she would believe Amy. Thankfully, he was wrong.

"I know you didn't cheat, Derek. I helped you study, remember? You knew that material like the back of your hand. Amy, on the other hand, doesn't even know what psychology is. I think she still believes it is the study of psychics and their methods or something," she joked. Derek sat up straight.

"Wait, but Amy finished her test even before I did."

"She must have just marked the answers that made pretty patterns or something, because she certainly didn't know the correct ones." Derek fell silent, thinking hard.

"That doesn't make any sense. If she doesn't like me, and she thinks I'm cheating off of her wrong answers, wouldn't she just let me copy so I would fail? And the paper, I swear it was there. So why did she hide it?" Lindsey's tone was one of skepticism when she answered.

"Are you trying to say you think she set you up?"

"I don't know, but it's all really weird, isn't it? What does Amy have against me, anyway? I mean, except for the way I treated her at the party, but that doesn't justify this." He paused, unsure of how to phrase his next sentence. "I think she set me up, but I don't think she did it alone." Lindsey didn't answer right away.

"Well, if she had help or pressure from someone else, who do you think it would be?" She asked finally. Derek didn't have to think about it.

"I can only think of one person," he replied. "I have to go, I'll call you tonight with an update, okay?" She agreed and they hung up. Derek got up from his bed and ran down the stairs. "Casey!"

She came hurrying out of the laundry room carrying a shirt on a hanger. "What? What's wrong?" He skidded to a stop in front of her.

"I think I figured this whole thing out." She didn't reply, but leaned against the wall, looking interested. "Okay, so I definitely didn't cheat, and Amy definitely had a piece of paper on her desk that said my name. I don't know what she did with it, but it was there and I think I was supposed to see it and get distracted by it. Then she got rid of it before Professor Harman could see it."

"Derek, are you saying she's setting you up?" He held up one finger to say that he wasn't finished.

"Not quite. I barely know Amy, why would she do something this bad to me? I mean, yeah I was kind of mean to her at the party, but that wouldn't justify this."

"Wait, what party?" She asked.

Derek paused for a moment, confused. "THE party. The party that I went to with Sam, where he met-" he stopped at the look on Casey's face, "I- er, the party where I met Amy and Lindsey. I wasn't very nice to them because they were drunk and annoying. But then Lindsey found me at school and we became friends. Turns out she's pretty cool when she's not drunk and ditzy. Amy… well, not so much."

Casey still looked confused, but she nodded, "Okay, so you actually sort of know Amy, but not enough to make her want to frame you. So why would she do this?" Derek sighed.

"I think someone put her up to this." Casey's eyes went wide.

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"Casey, I think Sam set me up."


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Evil Grin I made a huge break-through on this story today. Chapter Nine is coming probably tomorrow. :) Hope you like this one!

Pieces

**Chapter Eight**

"Whoa, what?" Casey shook her head. "Come on, Derek. This situation with the three of us is bad, but I don't think he'd go that far. I mean, Sam has been your best friend for how long? Do you really think he would do this to you?"

"You didn't see his face, Case. You didn't hear what he had to say about, well, you know." She shook her head, indicating that she wasn't going to discuss the "you know".

"I realize that he is upset, Derek, but this is Sam. He wouldn't ruin your entire life over this." Derek folded his arms. Obviously he wasn't going to have Casey's help on this.

"Do you have any other suggestions? Who else at the college would go that far?" Casey didn't answer. "Exactly. The fact of the matter is that Sam is the only person who would have a motive for this." He turned to walk away and she grabbed his shoulder.

"Where are you going?" She demanded.

"To kick Sam's-"

"Very funny, Derek. You can't just go up to him and accuse him. You need proof first." So she was going to help him. Good.

"Well, then, let's go get some proof."

--

They met Lindsey on the front steps of the campus at half past eleven. Apparently Casey, being the keener that she was, had access to the library after hours. The library just happened to be in the same building as Derek's psych classroom.

"Ok, wait," Lindsey said as Casey unlocked the door. Derek turned to her. "I don't think you should come," she told him.

"No. No way in hell I am staying out here." Casey shook her head.

"Lindsey is right, Derek. You're in enough trouble here as it is. If they catch you sneaking into the building at night they're going to expel you for sure!"

Derek crossed his arms. "I am NOT staying out here," he repeated. "I'm going in with you." The girls looked at each other and sighed.

"Fine," they said in unison. They entered the building and crept through the library. The darkness and silence were eerie and Derek looked over his shoulder several times, convinced they were being followed.

They reach the doors that led from the library into the hallway and Casey quietly pushed on the latch, holding it open for Derek and Lindsey. They tiptoed down the tiled hall, reaching Derek's psychology classroom quickly.

"God I hope it's not locked," Derek whispered. Casey twisted the knob slowly and, luckily, the door clicked open. They entered the vast, quiet classroom. There were about fifty desks in the room, spread out by two feet in each direction. Derek located his desk and sank into it.

"So what exactly are we looking for?" Lindsey asked softly. Derek shrugged.

"I don't know. Some sort of doorway into the unknown where Amy hid that paper?" Rolling her eyes, Casey shoved him so that he fell out of the chair. Lindsey snickered, giving them a knowing look. Casey blushed heavily and pretended to scan the room.

Derek pulled himself into a sitting position, rubbing his backside where he had hit the ground. As he did, a flash of white caught his eye.

"No. Way." He whispered, reaching over. It was a white sheet of notebook paper, taped to the underside of Amy's desk. He yanked it off and read it. Lindsey and Casey knelt next to him, reading over his shoulder.

It was mostly a jumble of words and scribbles, but near the bottom right-hand corner was short note written in a different handwriting, making it stand out.

_- Make sure **DEREK** sees the paper and then hide it. Don't screw this up. -_

"Whoa," Lindsey whispered. Casey and Derek exchanged glances. He knew they were thinking the same thing: this wasn't Sam's handwriting.

Out in the hall, a door slammed. Derek's eyes widened and he looked pleadingly to Casey, who was glancing back and forth frantically. She snatched the paper from his hand and taped it back under the desk.

"What are you doing?" He hissed. She grabbed his hand and pulled him to his feet.

"Do you trust me?" She whispered. He nodded automatically. "That door over there is a supplies closet. Go, get inside, now!" Derek sprinted across the classroom, wrenched the door open, dove inside, and pulled it shut quietly just as footsteps announced another arrival in the classroom.

"What's going on here?" A male voice demanded. It was Dean Granger. Derek could almost see Casey's polite expression as she answered.

"We were just looking for my earring, sir."

"At this time of night? How did you get in?" Derek shook his head. No way was the dean going to believe her story.

"I have a key to the library, sir. You gave it to me, remember? We apologize for the lateness of the hour, sir, but I only just realized I dropped it in here, and I was afraid that if I waited until tomorrow, someone would find it and take it. It's a rather expensive family heirloom and I would hate to tell my mom that I lost it." Derek shook his head again, surprised. When had Casey become such a fantastic liar? He knew it was partly his influence, and he felt impressed and ashamed at the same time.

"And where do you think you may have dropped it?" By the sound of the voices, Derek could tell Dean Granger was standing directly next to Casey, which unfortunately was within feet of the door Derek was hiding behind.

"I'm not entirely sure, but I sat in this desk on Friday so we thought we would start looking here." There was a scuffling noise and Derek resisted the urge to crack the door and peek.

"Under here?" The dean's voice was slightly muffled.

"I believe so." Casey's was muffled as well.

Suddenly, Lindsey let out a loud shriek. There was a thud, a crinkling noise, and a yelp of pain. It was apparent that Dean Granger had hit his head on the underside of the desk.

"I'm sorry," Lindsey said in a small voice. "I thought I saw it."

"What is this?" By the dean's tone, Derek just _knew_ he had found the paper. Casey was a genius.

"What is that, sir?" Lindsey asked. Dean Granger's voice was hard and angry when he spoke.

"The answer to a lot of questions. If you ladies will excuse me, I'm afraid I won't be able to help you continue your search. Please remember to lock the door when you leave." His footsteps faded out of the room, and Derek breathed a loud sigh of relief.

The door swung open, admitting light and Casey's face. She pulled him out and shut the door quietly.

"Casey, you're a genius! How in the world did you think of that?" He whispered. She blushed, shrugging. "You too, Lindsey," he added. "You guys just saved my life!" They grinned.

"Thanks, Der. Now come on, let's get you out of this building before you get caught!"

They hurried back through the halls, past the bookshelves in the dark library, and out into the still, quiet night. Derek wanted to shout with joy and relief, but knew well enough to keep his mouth shut. They piled into Derek's car and he drove as quickly as possible back to their parents' house.

Derek parked the Prince on the curb and they hurried up the sidewalk. They were just reaching the front door when it swung open. George folded his arms over his chest.

"Dad!" Derek said uneasily. "Umm, what are you doing up?"

"I should ask you the same question. I believe we agreed that you were grounded until we had this situation straightened out." Casey stepped forward.

"It's my fault, George," she said quickly. "I asked Derek to take me to pick up my friend Lindsey here. She's erm, she's going to stay the night and ride back to class with me."

"In Derek's car?" He asked skeptically. Casey looked to Derek, who shrugged. "Inside, all three of you," George demanded, and they complied with haste. They dropped onto the couch; Derek in the middle with Casey and Lindsey on either side. "I just received a call from the dean at your school. Apparently he doesn't sleep at midnight like normal people."

Derek could see just enough of Casey's expression to know she was about to crack. He reached down to grab her hand reassuringly, but she yanked it away as soon as their skin made contact. Lindsey hid a smile, but George only stared at them.

"George, really, it was all my idea. I just thought if maybe we could find some proof that Derek didn't cheat…" she trailed off, and George smiled.

"Well, you're in luck, because Dean Granger found your proof. Derek, your suspension is over and you're free to go back to your classes. The dean did say he wanted to see you in his office first thing tomorrow morning, to give you a formal apology." Derek couldn't believe his ears. "But next time, leave it to the authorities. I can't imagine how you thought you were going to solve this, but I'm sure it had something to do with breaking into the school and possibly getting yourselves into a lot of trouble. You're lucky it didn't go that far." The three of them exchanged glances but said nothing.

"Also, Derek, I want to say that I'm sorry for not believing you. I should have been behind you and I wasn't. So, I apologize."

Derek couldn't believe his lucky. "Thanks, dad. That means a lot. I guess I'm not the most trustworthy person." Casey snorted, Lindsey began to giggle, and George shook his head.

"I think it's about time you kids went to bed." They nodded and headed for the stairs, still exchanging looks of relief and joy. As they reached the top step, George called quietly, "By the way, Casey, did you find that 'family heirloom' you were looking for?" Casey's eyes went wide and she and Lindsey disappeared into her room, closing the door. Derek gave his dad an innocently confused look and shrugged, disappearing into his own room.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: So I know there was probably some confusion over the time frame here. This is the fall semester of their sophomore year. So I think that actually makes Derek 20, but I'm not sure when his birthday is so I don't really know. I just know him and Casey are six months apart.

Anyway, midterms the end of the fall semester, not the middle of it. So right now it's the beginning of Christmas/Winter break for them. I hope that clears up any confusion… if there was any. I kind of confused myself!

And thanks everyone for all the reviews. It really makes me want to write. Max will not be appearing here. I know you're all so disappointed. ;) I'm almost finished with this story; I just have to piece some things together. I really hope you like it. I'm so excited about actually finishing.

Pieces

**Chapter Nine**

Derek had trouble sleeping that night. Lindsey, his closest friend at the moment, whom he had poured his heart out to more than once in the preceding weeks was sharing a room with Casey, his step-sister who knew _way_ too much about him.

And then of course there was the fact that he was in love with her.

He had given up trying to deny it or minimize it. It was what it was: he was in love with Casey MacDonald. The fact that she was his step-sister no longer mattered to him, and he no longer found it strange or awkward. It felt natural, really. She was perfect for him. Sally had seen it, Lindsey could see it. Even Sam, though he had been disgusted, had come to the conclusion rather quickly. Maybe he saw it, too, and just didn't want to admit it.

Unable to stand it any longer, Derek cracked his door open and peered out into the hallway. There was no light shining under Casey's door and no sounds coming from the room, so he relaxed slightly. Maybe they had gone to sleep before sharing all that much information about him. Or at least he hoped they had!

He flopped back onto his bed, exhausted mentally as well as physically. He was slightly nervous about his meeting with Dean Granger, even if the "proof" had convinced the dean that Derek was innocent.

He was also seething over the situation. He had known he hadn't cheated from the start, but he had given Amy the benefit of the doubt. Now it was perfectly clear that she had set him up intentionally. What reason could she possibly have? And who was the third party, if not Sam?

He tossed and turned for another hour before he finally drifted off into a fitful sleep. It seemed only a few minutes later when Lindsey shook him awake, but it was clear from the light pouring through the windows that it was early morning.

Grumbling, he pulled himself into a sitting position. "It's morning already?"

Lindsey shook her head with a small smile. "Yes, Derek. You look terrible; didn't you sleep at all?" He glared at her.

"Well, excuse me for not winning any beauty contests. No, I didn't sleep at all. I kept thinking about Amy and why she would do this. And then I would get mad and I just couldn't seem to settle down and go to sleep." He swung his legs to the floor and stood, scratching his head and yawning.

"Where's Casey?" He asked. Lindsey's smile fell slightly, but Derek was too tired to really notice.

"She went to campus already. She caught a ride with your- her mom." Her tone was slightly off and Derek narrowed his eyes at her, but she avoided his gaze. "Anyway, I have class at ten so we need to leave soon. I still have to go to my dorm and change." He nodded and waved her toward the door.

"Give me fifteen minutes."

--

Fourteen minutes later, they were in Derek's car, headed for the campus. Lindsey was being unusually silent and Derek had finally noticed.

"What's wrong?" She stared at him.

"What do you mean?" Her tone was evasive and he knew she was perfectly aware of his meaning, but he played along anyway.

"You seem upset about something. You've been pouting all morning," he tried to tease, but she didn't give him the response he was hoping for.

"I'm just tired," was her reply. Derek was beyond skeptical, but he decided not to press the issue.

--

As Derek entered the glass doors to the dean's office building, he saw a familiar blonde leaving the other way. He raced down the hall, catching Amy by the elbow before she could get out through the doors.

"Hey!" She said, but when she saw it was him, she quieted and pulled away gently. "Just go to your meeting, Derek. I'm not supposed to talk to you."

"Like hell you're not going to talk to me. Tell me why you set me up, and who put you up to it." She shook her head.

"No one put me up to it," she said in a tired voice. "I thought it all up, I'm responsible. And now I have to go study for the Psychology exam that I'm lucky they're allowing me to retake."

"Retake?" Derek was confused. "But they said you aced it. Do they think you cheated off of me?" She shook her head.

"No, but they're… skeptical of my grade. So now I have to retake."

"There's no way you did this yourself," Derek argued. "What possible reason could you have? Who wrote on that paper?" Amy covered her face with her hands and sighed.

"No one wrote on the paper but me. I used two different types of handwriting to make that one part stand out. I did it because you were rude to me at that party but then suddenly became Lindsey's best friend." She said all of this in a monotonous tone, as though she had rehearsed the words. Derek wasn't buying it.

"I don't believe y-"

"Derek Venturi!" The dean's secretary was calling his name. Derek looked back at Amy, expecting a smirk or sneer or some sort of indication that she was malicious enough to orchestrate this, but there was nothing. She only hung her head and avoided his gaze. 

Shaking his head, he whispered, "I know you didn't do this all on your own, and I'm going to find out who has it in for me."

Eyes wide, she shook her head. "Derek, please just drop it, okay? I'm begging you. Just accept that it was me." He started to protest, but the look in her eyes was disconcerting. She was terrified.

In the moment that he paused, the secretary called his name again, and when he turned to look at her, Amy slipped through the doors and disappeared.

--

"Mr. Venturi, please come in!" Dean Granger welcomed him with all the enthusiasm he might exude toward a long-lost son. Derek smiled slightly and allowed himself to be ushered into the office. He sat on one of the chairs he had so admired last time as the dean settled behind the desk.

"Mr. Venturi-" he paused. "May I call you Derek?" Derek shrugged. "Derek, on behalf of this institution, we want to apologize for the pain you've been through over this ordeal. It seems that the paper you alluded to does exist and offers proof that you were framed. It's sort of like something out of the movies, isn't it?" He chuckled, but Derek didn't find the situation remotely funny. Dean Granger hastily changed his chuckle to a cough before continuing.

"We would like to make it up to you, son. We've already given you the grade you earned on your exam – which was exceptional, by the way. But we would like to do a little more. We want to offer you some compensation. You live on campus, correct?" Derek nodded. "Well, the board has agreed to extend the room to you for next semester free of charge." He grinned broadly, as though he were offering Derek some great prize. Derek shrugged again.

"That sounds… acceptable," he replied, faking as much enthusiasm as he could manage. The dean clapped his hands together.

"Wonderful! Well, I'm sure you're eager to return to your classes-"

"My classes are all over, sir. Psychology was my last exam for the semester."

"Oh, well, enjoy your break, then! If you need anything else, anything at all, please don't hesitate to ask!" Derek nodded and stood, exiting the office. He was sure his dad and 

Nora would be pleased to hear that they would be saving that money on his board, but it just didn't seem to be enough.

He was dissatisfied, mostly because he now knew that Amy was not the culprit and he was desperate to discover who was targeting him. And yet he kept remembering the look on Amy's face and it held him back, at least from jumping straight into the search.

He needed to talk to Lindsey. She was Amy's friend; she would understand and maybe even provide some insight.

--

"Lindsey!" He caught up with her as she was coming out of the science building, looking frustrated. She stopped and her features relaxed when she saw him.

"Hey, Derek." They dropped onto a bench outside the building and she leaned her head on his shoulder. "Shoot me now," she said jokingly.

"Hard exam?" He asked, and she nodded.

"At least they're over," she admitted.

"Want to take your mind off of it? I've got some interesting developments for you."

She looked surprised and wary. "Developments? On what?" He raised his eyebrows.

"On the Amy/cheating situation, of course."

"I thought that was over," she asked, looking confused and relieved. He shook his head, bewildered by her attitude.

"Not exactly. I ran into Amy at Dean Granger's office." He relayed the story to her, making sure to accurately describe Amy's last look of fear. When he finished, Lindsey look thoughtful.

"Well, obviously whoever the other person is has something on her, something big." She opened her bag and pulled out her cell phone.

"Who are you calling?" Derek asked her. Lindsey punched buttons and smiled wryly.

"I'm going to call Amy. She is my friend, after all, and it sort of sounds like she needs me right now. I don't know if she'll confide in me after everything, but the least I can do is be there for her, you know?" Derek nodded.

"Yeah, you're right. You go be Amy's friend, she needs it. I've got something I need to do." Lindsey eyed him interestedly.

"And that would be?" She wondered. He shrugged.

"Talk to Casey, of course. She can't avoid me forever." Lindsey's smile drooped, but she nodded.

"Well, obviously. You share a family, she'll have to see you eventually." Derek thought there might be a hint of sarcasm to Lindsey's tone, but it was so slight that he thought he might have imagined it.

"Yeah. Well, call me after you talk to Amy, okay?" She nodded and gave him a swift hug and a quick kiss on the cheek before rushing off. Stunned, Derek touched his cheek, unsure of what that kiss meant or how he was supposed to react. Picking up his bag, he slung it over his shoulder and headed off to his dorm.


	10. Chapter 10

**StoryTagger:** That's pretty much exactly what Lizzie is thinking. Personally I don't think there is anything taboo about it, but there are a lot of people that do. I've experienced it before. My viewpoint is along the lines of Lindsey's in chapter five. That's part of why I wrote this story. Thanks for your reviews, and I'm glad you like the story!

I'm so giddy over these reviews. They're making me want to post the rest of the story now, but what fun would that be? I'm basically finished, I just need to fine-tune the last few chapters. I really hope you all like it. I'm kind of proud of it. This plot has been in my head for about six months now, and it's nice to see it all come together like this. :)

Anyway, enjoy!

Pieces

**Chapter Ten**

"Smerek!" Marti crowed with delight as he entered the living room with a couple of bags full of his stuff. He grinned and hugged her. She really was growing up, but at the same time she was so young. Could she really understand, as Lindsey said? Or would she be affected for the rest of her life, as Casey had predicted?

"Hey, Smarti." He looked around. "Is Lizzie here?" She nodded.

"She's upstairs. You wanna play a game with me?" He nodded.

"After I talk to Lizzie, I'll play, okay?" She grinned, and he ruffled her hair and loped up the stairs. He dumped the bags in his room and went back out into the hall.

He reached Lizzie's door and knocked softly. This was not going to be an easy conversation, but it had to be done.

There was no answer. Derek knocked again. Still no answer. So she was going to play it this way. Well, he had no problem marching into Casey's room when she was being stubborn. Should Lizzie be any different?

As he turned the knob, he heard, "_What_ are you doing?" He jumped, turned around, and nearly fell over. When he had righted himself and caught his breath, he realized Lizzie was standing on the bottom stair of the flight leading to Edwin's room.

"Looking for you," he replied. She came down onto the landing.

"I was helping Edwin with his homework," she said, walking past him and pulling her door closed. "You and Casey don't seem to believe in knocking first."

He crossed his arms. "I did knock," he shot back. "Twice."

"And when no one answered, you didn't think maybe no one was there?" She asked. He sighed.

"I thought you were ignoring me."

She feigned surprise. "And why would I do that? I can't think of a single good reason for me to not want to talk to you." He glared at her.

"Come on, Liz, let's not do this here." In response, she opened her door and gestured inside.

"After you," she said with mock politeness. Deciding to ignore her tone, he went inside and waited until she had closed the door. "You have exactly five minutes to convince me not to kick you right back out that door." She said, her tone low and angry. She was no longer toying with him and he was starting to wish she was.

"Lizzie, I'm not intimidated by you, so drop the tough girl act. You're not going to send me out of here crying like you did to Casey." His words had the desired effect: Lizzie glanced at the floor, looking slightly ashamed. "All I want is for you to hear me out. Give me the courtesy you wouldn't give her." As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he regretted them. Lizzie's head snapped up and he could tell he had pushed her too far.

"Don't you dare treat me like the bad guy here," she shot back. "I love Casey and I love you but I have every right to feel the way I do about this."

"About what?" Derek demanded. "About how we feel? Do you think we can control that any better than you can control your feelings?" He sighed. "We didn't ask for this, Liz. This is just the way things are. If you can't accept it then I guess we have to accept that but I'm asking for a little understanding. Or at least a little respect." Lizzie sat down on her bed.

"But I don't understand. I don't understand how you can feel that way for each other. You're my brother, Derek. Casey is my sister. Edwin is my brother. It's all the same to me. Why is it different for you?" Derek pulled the desk chair around and sat down in front of her.

"I don't know. I've never really thought of Casey as my sister, the way I do with you and Marti." Lizzie still looked skeptical, and Derek tried a different tactic. "Okay, let's take Jamie, for instance. You really like him, right? You've been off and on for three years now." She nodded. "Why do you like Jamie?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. He's smart, he's cute, he's funny, and he really cares about me."

Derek nodded. "You like him because he's Jamie, right? Does it matter to you what his last name is or who his parents are?" Lizzie shook her head.

"That's different and you know it, Derek. It's not like Casey is your classmate and her parents are wackos or murderers. These are two completely different situations."

"Fine. But if someone told you, for whatever reason, that you couldn't be with Jamie, you would fight them, wouldn't you? Because he means that much to you." She shrugged again.

"I suppose so. But-"

"That's how I feel about Casey. Everything you just said about Jamie is what Casey is to me. Liz, she makes me feel… like I've never felt. I know that sounds cheesy," he added when she opened her mouth. "But I don't know how else to describe it. She makes me feel like I could be a better person, you know? She's _made _me a better person. You know it, we all know it. And I'm not going to apologize for how I feel about her." When he finished, he finally realized Lizzie's expression, which was surprised and more tender than he'd expected.

"Gosh, Derek. I didn't realize it was that… emotional. I mean, no offense, but you're you. You're not exactly Mr. Feelings." She looked away. "I guess more than anything I was worried for Casey. She was just so emotional about her feelings for you-"

"She was?" Derek asked, surprised. Lizzie raised an eyebrow.

"Uh, yeah. Didn't you know?"

He shook his head. "We haven't talked about it, not really. I only just came to terms with it when the situation with Sam happened. I think it was always there, I just didn't, I don't know, recognize it. When I told her how I felt, she basically told me that she felt the same way, but that it didn't matter because we couldn't… you know, do that. To you. Or to the rest of the family."

Lizzie pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, making her look more like the shy and confused twelve year old he had met four years ago than her present bold self.

"You're my brother, Derek, and I love you," she said. "And I love Casey. I want you guys to be happy. I just… I don't know if I can be okay with this." She sighed.

"I understand," Derek replied, knowing that this, though enough for him, would not be enough for Casey. "Just, be nice to Casey, okay? She's going through a lot." She nodded and he left the room. As he headed down the stairs, he remembered his promise to Marti.

"Smarti!" He called as he descended the steps. He stopped short on the lowest landing when he saw Casey coming through the door, shedding her coat.

"I can't believe you still call her that," she teased with a light smile. He shrugged.

"It's just habit now," he replied, trying to keep his cool. "I promise I won't call her that in front of her friends and embarrass her."

"Embarrass who?" Marti appeared in the doorway from the kitchen. "Casey!" She ran to give Casey a hug. "Are you going to play with me and Smerek?" Casey started to shake her head, but Derek managed to catch her eye and gave her a pleading look. He could tell she was fighting it, but finally she said, "Sure. Why don't we get Lizzie and Edwin in, too?" Marti nodded excitedly.

"I'll go pick the game!" She announced, running past Derek to the games closet. Casey shook her head, smiling.

"She's growing up so fast."

"But she's still a little kid," Derek mused. They locked eyes, and he knew they were thinking the same thing. "But she's pretty mature for her age." Casey shook her head again, but with a frown.

"Don't, Derek." Something in her tone convinced him not to argue.

"Fine." Marti came running back down the stairs, carrying Monopoly. Derek resisted the urge to groan. Monopoly was the longest game in the history of the world. Then, seeing Casey's expression, he realized it meant he could be in her presence for that much longer, and she couldn't leave for fear of hurting Marti's feelings.

"We're coming," Edwin called, coming down with Lizzie at his heels. Derek watched as Lizzie and Casey exchanged an unreadable look. Casey smiled softly and took a seat at the table. Lizzie caught Derek's eye and nodded slightly before sitting down next to her sister.

"All right, Monopoly!" Edwin said, sitting down next to Marti. Derek took his dad's usual seat at the head of the table. Of course enterprising Edwin loved Monopoly. Edwin was usually the one who built a row of hotels and cleaned everyone out.

"I'll be the dog," Marti said, setting the little silver piece on the "Go" square. Edwin, Lizzie, and Casey selected their pieces as well. Derek picked the hat and set it in place.

An hour later, Derek was nearly bankrupt, Lizzie and Casey were holding on for dear life, and Marti and Edwin were vying for control of the board. Derek was tense as he rolled the dice and let out a long sigh of relief when he landed on the "Jail" square, where Lizzie was currently being held hostage. One spot less or more would have ended the game for him, thanks to Edwin's "Death Row".

"I'm just visiting," he reminded them as Marti picked up the dice. Lizzie shrugged.

"I'm staying here awhile," she said. "It's the only place safe enough!" Casey shook her head as she took a small amount of money from Marti for landing on one of her properties. She rolled and landed on one of Marti's hotels.

"Sheesh, Marti. I should have just had you put that toward my tab," she joked as she handed over a large stack of bills. "I'm about done here."

Edwin rolled, landing on one of his own properties, and handed the dice to Lizzie, who rolled.

"No doubles," she said happily. "I'm staying in jail."

"You can get out for fifty bucks," Edwin reminded her. Lizzie shook her head.

"No thank you!" Derek grinned and picked up the dice, blowing on them before rolling them.

"Ew!" Marti squealed. "Now they have your germs all over them!" Derek shrugged, holding his breath as they bounced across the board, both die landing on five.

"Ten spaces," Ed counted. Derek moved his counter, landing on the "Free Parking" space.

"Yes!" He cried jubilantly, collecting the money from the "pot" in the middle. "I am _so_ coming back." He added the money to his dismal pile.

"You rolled doubles," Casey reminded him, and he nodded. "Roll again," she prompted.

"First, I'm going to buy a house."

"One house?" Edwin mocked. "Oh, I hope I don't land on that space, I don't think I could survive it!" Derek raised a fist at him.

"Don't you mock my growing empire, Edweirdo," he threatened. "It's going to crush yours, you'll see!" He placed the house on his most expensive, well, _only_, property. Rolling the dice again, he managed to sneak onto the "Question Mark" space and drew a card.

"Advance directly to 'Go'," he read aloud. "Ha!" He moved his counter to "Go", collecting his money and passing all of Marti and Edwin's deadly properties.

"That's doubles again," Lizzie said. "You have to roll." Derek sighed, rolling again.

"One, two, three, four, fiv- NO!" He had landed on Casey's only hotel.

"Pay up," she said, holding out her hand and adopting the familiar smirk that Derek had come to love. Grumbling, he handed over most of his money, but seeing her look at him like that again, seeing her look at him like she had before all of this mess, was completely worth it.

"Oh no!" Lizzie said, as she rolled doubles. "I'm so dead!"

"Who's dead?" Nora called as she came through the front door.

"Someone's dead?" George asked, appearing from the kitchen.

"I'm dead," Lizzie replied as she landed right in the middle of Edwin's chain of hotels. "That's going to take all of my money."

"Aww, George, look at them playing a game together," Nora said, a wistful look on her face. "We haven't come home to a scene like this since Casey and Derek went to college." George raised an eyebrow at her.

"Are you kidding? We've never seen them like this. No one is strangling anyone else!" They laughed, but the Monopoly players all rolled their eyes.

"Dad," Edwin said, "we get along just fine."

"Sure you do, Ed," George joked. "But it is nice to see you kids acting like a family."

It was amazing how that one statement could completely change the atmosphere in the room. Setting down her money, Casey said, "Excuse me," in a quiet voice and left the room. Lizzie gave Derek a half-knowing, half-troubled look and went after her sister.

Edwin recognized the tension and sent Derek several questioning glances, but Derek shook his head slightly.

"Was it something I said?" George asked.

"No, dad," Derek replied. "I think she's had a bad day."


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N:** So I think my tinfoil hat worked on this chapter. What do you think?

Thanks once again everyone for the reviews! Monopoly is totally my favorite game ever, if you couldn't tell. My husband hates it. :)

**Lanter**, thanks for that comment. I felt like Lizzie would be the type to freak out a little. She's usually level-headed, but she's had her share of drama queen moments and I thought this would be the moment to cause that! But I tried to make her as realistic as possible without going out of character so I'm glad you thought that!

Also, I went back through and corrected little mistakes here and there, so if you get a notice that says the earlier chapters have been updated, that's why. I was just cleaning it up a bit!

Pieces

**Chapter Eleven**

"Derek!" He answered Lindsey's phone call three days later. "I have to talk to you, now."

"Okay, can you come over?" he asked.

"I'll be there in ten minutes." She hung up and Derek stared at the phone.

"It's a twenty minute drive," he said to the empty room.

True to her word, Lindsey arrived ten minutes later. "This must be really important," Derek said as he let her in. She nodded.

"Extremely." They ran up the stairs and they shut themselves in his room. "It's about Amy." He came to immediate attention.

"Tell me," he commanded. She sat down in his chair and he fell onto the bed.

"Well, I couldn't get her to tell me the name of the person. She knows I'm close to you, and, well, she just wouldn't tell me. _But_ she did tell me some things. Things she should never have known about you. She knows all about the Casey situation, Derek." He froze.

"There were a lot of people listening that day," he said. "It could have gotten back to her."

"Not this much information," she protested. "Trust me, whoever is behind this knows a LOT about you." Derek sat up.

"There's only one person on that campus that knows that much about me. Let's go."

--

Running up the front walk, Derek banged on the front door of a familiar house. A tall blonde woman answered the door.

"Derek!" She exclaimed. "I haven't seen you in weeks! Come in, come in." Derek and Lindsey followed her into the house. She led them up the stairs to the first room on the left.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Sam demanded. His mother looked shocked.

"Sam! Derek is your friend, why would you speak to him that way?" Derek folded his arms and silently dared Sam to tell his mother what was going on.

Instead, Sam said, "Mom, can you excuse us, please?" She nodded and left the room, closing the door.

"I can leave."

Derek jumped. He hadn't noticed anyone else in the room.

"No, Crystal, you can stay," Sam said.

"Are you kidding me?" Derek demanded. "After everything that happened, you're still with her?" Crystal folded her arms.

"Sam and I happen to like each other," she shot back.

"Yeah, well Sam and I have a score to settle. You know, the matter of trying to get me kicked out of school?" Sam glared at him.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Derek laughed cynically. "Oh, I'm sure you don't. I'm sure you had nothing to do with some random girl in my psychology class setting me up to look like I cheated on the exam." Derek didn't notice Crystal edging toward the door.

"Whatever, Derek. I didn't even know you got caught cheating."

"I didn't cheat!" He snapped. "She set me up and _you_ put her up to it."

"Who set you up?" Sam demanded, looking entirely confused. For the first time, Derek felt slightly unsure.

"You really don't know?" He asked.

"No!" Derek had known Sam long enough to know when he was telling the truth. Sam was a terrible liar.

"Then explain to me how Amy knew all about the situation with us, and with Casey? Explain to me how Amy knew every last detail?" Sam shrugged.

"Who is Amy? I don't know how she knows that stuff." Derek folded his arms.

"Sam, you are the only person besides Casey, Lindsey, and me who knows the entire story."

Suddenly, the bedroom door slammed. Derek and Sam looked up to see Crystal with her hand on the knob and Lindsey with her hand flat against the door.

"Where do you think _you_'re going?" Lindsey demanded. Crystal glanced at Sam, who seemed to be coming to an understanding.

"I think you left one person off that list, D," he said. Crystal's eyes grew wide as Derek advanced on her.

"_You_ did this? Why?" Finally, she dropped the innocent act and glared at him.

"I did it for Sam!" She exclaimed. Sam stared at her.

"Oh, no, do not drag me into it. I had _nothing_ to do with this."

She rolled her eyes. "That's not what I meant. I mean, I did it because I was trying to get rid of Derek for you!" Lindsey crossed her arms.

"Puh-lease. We're not buying that," she snapped. Crystal stepped toward her aggressively.

"What makes you think I care?" She hissed. "He made Sam look like an idiot in front of everyone. And since Sam is too nice to get his own revenge, I did it for him."

"We're turning you over to the dean," Derek said. She laughed.

"Go ahead. You do that and I'll tell them exactly how that Amy girl aced her psychology test. I have the answer key to prove it." Sam stood up.

"Get out," he said. Crystal stared at him.

"But, Sammy, I did this for you," she whined. He shook his head.

"No, you didn't. You know damn well that I never would have wanted you to do something that far over the line. Get out." Narrowing her eyes, she wrenched the door open, nudged Lindsey out of the way, and slammed the door behind her.

"Dude, I am really sorry she did that," Sam said. "I swear I had no idea." Derek crossed his arms. He wasn't quite ready to forgive and forget just yet.

"Why did you tell her so much about me? Doesn't that seem a little bit stupid to you?" He expected, and kind of hoped, that Sam would fight back, but he didn't.

"Yeah, it does. But I was pissed off, Derek, and I needed someone to talk to. Ralph isn't exactly the type, and you and Casey are- were my only other friends."

"Are or were?" Derek demanded. Sam shrugged.

"Hell, I don't know. This is screwed up, Derek, all of it. I stand by that. But if it makes you and Casey happy then so be it." He looked at Lindsey and then back at Derek. "Why isn't Casey here?"

"She's not exactly speaking to me," Derek replied tightly. "At least, not the way she used to. Thanks to your – and Lizzie's – reaction, she's scared to death of coming within five feet of me. So she mostly just dances around me when she isn't avoiding me."

"I'm not going to apologize, Derek. I don't have to like it. And maybe it's just because I'm jealous. Wouldn't you be? I'm just not comfortable with this."

"Whatever. I guess I don't really understand. It was always weird for me when you and Casey were together, but I didn't let it get in the way of our friendship."

Sam stood up. "I'm not Casey's brother! That's different." Derek stood his ground.

"And neither am I. There's nothing wrong with me loving Casey, and I won't let you talk about it like it's some sort of disgusting disease. It's real, and I won't apologize for it, not to you or to anyone else." He stopped his tirade just in time to see that Sam was staring at him, open-mouthed. "What?" He demanded.

Lindsey patted his shoulder. "You just used that pesky little word again," she said him quietly. "The one that makes everyone freak out and stare at you. I can't figure out why."

"Oh, that," Derek replied. "Supposedly it has something to do with my 'track record' according to Edwin."

--

_"All right, Derek, spill." Derek looked up at his younger brother. After the incident downstairs, Derek had taken refuge in Edwin's room, trying to avoid his dad, who was asking endless questions and Nora, who kept shooting him suspicious looks. "What was all that down there?" _

_Derek shrugged. Lizzie knew, so he figured he might as well tell Edwin. The kid was fairly good at keeping things quiet, especially when it was something this important._

_"I'll tell you," he promised, "but you have to promise two things." Edwin nodded. "First you have to swear you'll keep it to yourself."_

_"Of course," Edwin replied._

_Derek sighed. Ed was a little too eager and that worried him. But he needed an ally in the house and something told him he could count on Edwin. "Second, you have to promise you'll hear me out and you won't freak out on me." _

_"Uh, sure," Edwin said, looking confused. "What does this have to do with you?" _

_"Everything." He took a deep breath. "Ed, I'm in love." He took another deep breath. "With Casey."_

_Edwin sat across from Derek, his mouth slightly open. "You're kidding." He shook his head. "This has to be some kind of master prank, right?" Derek shook his head._

_"This is real, Ed. All of it. And it's a huge mess." He put his head in his hands. "I don't know what to do. She's too afraid of everyone's reactions, especially since Lizzie freaked out on her."_

_"Lizzie did?" He looked thoughtful. "So that's why she's been so weird lately!" He stared at his brother. "I can't believe _you_ are in love!"_

_"That's it?" Derek asked incredulously. "That's all you have to say?" Edwin shrugged._

_"Besides the 'ohmigod ew' factor of Casey being my sister, yeah."_

_"Your sister?"_

_"Well, she's obviously not your sister. Really, Derek, do you want me to freak out or not?" Derek shook his head._

_"Of course not. I'm just surprised you're taking it so well."_

_"It just… makes sense, I guess. It's weird, sure, but not shocking. But, does Casey feel the same way?"_

_"I don't know. I think so, but she's never really said it out loud."_

_"Have you? To Casey, I mean?" Derek thought about it._

_"No, not in those exact words."_

_"Well, why not, bro?" Edwin asked. "Maybe she's not really sure how you feel? I mean, you don't have the best track record. Maybe she's just scared of you."_

--

"You can't be serious," Sam said. "Who are you and what have you done with 'Triple-D' Derek Venturi?" Lindsey raised an eyebrow.

"'Triple-D'? Who came up with _that_ nickname?" She scoffed. Sam glared at her.

"I did. And trust me, you don't want to know what it means."

"I thought it had to do with hockey," she said. Derek couldn't help it. He laughed.

"Everyone always thinks that."

"I'm so confused," she said, looking from Sam to Derek.

"Can we get back to the situation at hand?" Sam asked. "Look, D, if that's really how you feel, I'm not going to stand in the way. I guess I never thought I'd see the day that Derek Venturi fell in love. And I sure as hell never thought it would be over Casey McDonald."


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N:** Here's ch. 12! This was going to be the penultimate chapter, but I've decided to lengthen the ending a bit for the story. So it might be awhile before I post the next chapter because it needs some work, but I'll try to have it out as quickly as possible.

Thanks again everyone for the reviews! I'm so excited that I'm almost finished but then kind of sad also! I hope you enjoy this one. Well... as much as you can. ;)

Pieces

**Chapter Twelve**

When Derek returned to the house, it was nearly ten o'clock. Marti and Edwin were on the couch watching TV. Edwin gave Derek a questioning look, and Derek knew what he was asking. He shook his head.

"Where's Casey?" He asked Lizzie as she descended the stairs.

She furrowed her brow. "I think she went to her dorm at the campus. To pack some things, she said."

"Pack? Why?"

Lizzie shrugged. "I dunno. I guess to bring it back here? I thought she was staying on campus over break to study, but maybe she changed her mind?"

"Ooh, I hope she's staying here!" Marti said, leaning over the back of the couch.

"If dad or Nora asks, I'll be back later," Derek said, looking pointedly at Lizzie and then at Edwin. They exchanged glances and nodded.

--

Derek knocked lightly on Casey and Sally's door. It was several minutes before the door opened. Derek pressed his ear to the cold wood and heard snatches of their conversation.

"I can't do this right now!" That was Casey. Her voice was slightly higher-pitched than usual and she sounded as though she had been crying.

"…such a baby. You… run away from this." That was Sally.

"I am not! I…"

"…coward. I'm not going to let you…"

"Fine!" He heard that loud and clear from Casey. Half a second later, the door opened. He moved back hastily.

"Hi, Derek," Sally said, smiling and letting him into the room. "Bye, Derek." She stepped out and shut the door.

Surprised, Derek turned to Casey, who looked away, but not before Derek saw the tears in her eyes. He took a step forward, and she stepped back. Again, he moved forward, and again she moved back.

"What, are you afraid of me now?" He asked, moving all the way into the sitting-room part of their suite-like dorm. Casey had practically back into the wall.

"Yes, in a way," she responded quietly.

Sighing, he sat in one of the chairs. "Why in the world would you be afraid of me?"

She sat tentatively on the couch. "Because this scares me, Derek."

"What scares you?" He was determined to make her say it, even if it took all night.

"This. Us. How you feel about me." She threw her hands up in the air for emphasis.

"What about how you feel about me?" He asked.

She gave him a withering look. "I can deal with that. I've had plenty of practice. But knowing now how you feel… that changes _everything_."

"Why?" He demanded, somewhat surprised. "Why does it change anything other than the depth of our relationship?" She shook her head at the last word.

"It changes how I feel about my feelings for you."

"What?" Once again, Casey's line of thinking had left him bewildered.

"Never mind." He folded his arms, showing that he wasn't going to buy that, and she sighed. "I could deal with my feelings before because they were just feelings. They were only in my mind. I never would have acted on them! But now…"

"You would?" He could only hope.

She shook her head. "Now I can't stand to be around you. It hurts too much, Der."

"You're doing it to yourself, Case!" He hadn't meant to sound so harsh, but she was frustrating him. "I know you talked to Lizzie, and she's coming around. No one is standing in our way."

For the first time, Casey smiled. "She told me what you said. Thanks for sticking up for me."

"Are you kidding?" He couldn't help it; he got up and sat down next to her. "I would stand up to Ryan the fridge for you!"

She giggled quietly, but sobered quickly. "She told me _every_thing you said."

"I meant every word," he said. She shook her head, standing up, and he followed.

"I know, but-"

"But nothing." He placed his hands on her upper arms. "I meant it, Case. I always will."

"I _know_," she said, softly but forcefully. "I feel the same way. That's why we can't do this."

He stared at her, astonished, and dropped his hands. "What? Why?"

"Because I care about you. So much. Too much. And if things were to go wrong, if I were to lose you-"

"You're not going to lose me!" He shot out, grabbing her arms again. "I'm not going to let that happen." She shook her head, trying to pull away, but he refused to let go.

"You can't promise that, Derek! You don't know what the future holds." Fresh tears were spilling over. "You are so many things to me. And I refuse to risk losing that. It means too much to me." Derek didn't know what to say. He could sense that she was slipping away, but the more he professed his love, the more she pulled away.

So Derek did the only thing he could think of; the last resort that he craved and feared all at once; the one line they had yet to cross. He kissed her.

At first she tried to pull away, but he held tight. She stopped resisting, but several agonizing seconds passed before she relaxed and returned the kiss.

It was breath-taking and dizzying and electrifying and exhilarating and the most amazing feeling Derek had ever experienced. Small explosions deafened him and he thought if he died in that instant, he would die a happy man.

Casey jerked back suddenly, shattering the moment. She said nothing, but he didn't need to hear her. He could read it all in her eyes and it very nearly frightened him.

They stared at each other for several seconds. Casey's eyes filled slowly with fresh tears, and Derek knew what she was going to say before she said it.

"I'm sorry." It was only two whispered words, but they hurt more than anything she had ever yelled at him. As she walked away, he could feel his heart breaking into a million little pieces.

The door slammed and Derek found himself all alone. He had gone too far and he knew it, but there was no going back now. He slumped onto the couch, his head in his hands, and did something that he couldn't consciously remember _ever_ doing: he cried.

"Derek?" He was so engrossed in his thoughts that he had not heard the door open. Sally sat down next to him and placed a hand on his arm. "I'm sorry."

_I'm sorry_. If he never heard those two words again, it would be too soon.

--

Derek spent the rest of the week at his dorm, trying to give Casey time to calm down before he talked to her again. Mostly he was gathering courage, although he wouldn't have admitted it.

He opened the front door of his family's house on a snowy Saturday morning to a startling sight. Lizzie and Nora were seated on the couch; Lizzie was crying freely and Nora's eyes were suspiciously red.

"She didn't even say goodbye!" Lizzie wailed. Derek's heart dropped into his stomach as Nora hugged her younger daughter.

"She'll be back for break, we'll make sure of it," she said soothingly.

Lizzie finally noticed Derek standing in the entryway. "This is all _your_ fault!" She shouted before jumping up and running to her room.

"Lizzie!" Nora called, but the only response was a slamming door. "I'm sorry, Derek, she's a bit distraught."

"A bit?" He tried to sound casual, but his heart was pounding. "What's going on?" Nora sighed.

"Casey left. She decided she wanted to transfer to Emily's university in England. She flew out last night."

"What?!" His thundering reply sent Nora to her feet. He could feel the color draining from his face.

"Derek, are you all right?" Her voice sounded far away and he sat quickly in "his" chair. This wasn't happening. He refused to believe it, but he couldn't ignore it. She was gone.

"It's all my fault," he moaned.

"Oh, Derek," Nora patted his arm. "It's not your fault." He didn't bother arguing.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: This one's short. But it said all that needed to be said. :) Thanks everyone SO Much for the reviews, especially that they've remained positive even though I KNOW you all wanted things to go differently! Anyway, thanks and I'll post the final chapter (really it's more of an epilogue) in a few days!

Pieces

**Chapter Thirteen**

"Derek?" He could hear the joy and surprise in Lindsey's voice. They hadn't spoken much since Casey's abrupt departure three weeks before. He hadn't really felt like talking to anyone.

"You busy?" He asked. "I need to get out of here."

She met him at the bench in the park where they had first discussed his feelings for Casey. A light snow was falling and he absentmindedly brushed some out of her hair when she sat down next to him.

"How are you?" She asked.

He shrugged. "Things could be worse, I guess. I'm coping." He leaned back against the bench slats. "The worst part is Lizzie still won't speak to me and so everything is really tense at home."

She placed her arm around his shoulders gently. "God, Derek, I just wish I could help you in some way. I feel so badly for you," she said softly.

"I'll learn to live with it. Besides, you've done plenty for me. You've been there for me through this entire ordeal. Don't think I haven't noticed."

"I'm glad. I hate seeing you sad though."

"If she doesn't want to be with me, then that's that. I can't make her want me." Lindsey shook her head.

"I have to admit that a small, selfish part of me hoped it wouldn't work out. But now I would give anything to bring her back for you." He stared at her, sitting up straight.

"What do you mean, a small selfish part?" He asked, confused.

"Isn't it obvious?" She smiled. "I guess not. I was pretty jealous of her because I was starting to like you. But it was clear that your heart belongs to her, and I'm okay with that. I just want you to be happy."

He raised an eyebrow. "So you like me. Or you liked me?"

She hesitated, gauging his expression. After a few seconds she leaned over and kissed him. "What do you think?"

He knew what he was doing and why. He knew it would never be the same or be enough. And he knew Lindsey knew it, but he kissed her back.

--

"Hey, Derek!" He saw Sam jogging toward him. He stopped walking, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Hey." They fell into step together, walking toward one of the buildings in the cool late-March breeze.

"So, umm, I think I may have left a couple of my things at our- I mean your dorm and I don't have a key anymore. What time do you think you'll be back there?"

Derek shrugged awkwardly. "I have class in five minutes and it's over at noon. I guess I could stop there before lunch." Sam nodded, scratching his head and looking away.

"Cool. So, uh, I guess I'll meet you at your dorm about five after?" Derek nodded and they parted, heading for their respective classes.

March break had come and gone with no sign of Casey. Derek had given up trying to call her at her dorm. Emily constantly told him, in a strained and sad voice, that Casey was not there. Only one time had she let any other information slip, mentioning that Casey kept herself busy with various activities. This cheered Derek, as he knew Casey was only trying to avoid thinking about him. It also worried him, because he knew it meant Casey was trying to forget him.

Lizzie still blamed him for all of it, and he privately agreed with her, but at least she was speaking civilly to him. They kept their feud to themselves to spare the rest of the family the truth. Only Edwin was aware of the reason for the tension, and he did whatever he could to lessen it.

After his class, Derek met Sam at his dorm and unlocked the door. The silence was weird, especially with Sam, but neither felt that they had anything more to say.

"So, erm, how's Lindsey?" Sam asked as he tossed a couple items into the box he had brought. Surprised, Derek gave him a half-smile.

"She's all right."

"And Amy?" Startled, Derek shrugged.

"Fine." He wasn't aware that Sam paid so much attention to who Derek was hanging around. When she wasn't drunk or being blackmailed into framing him, she wasn't so bad as a friend. She reminded him a lot of his ex-girlfriend Kendra. "How's Ralph?" Derek still spoke to Ralph on occasion, but he knew that things were difficult for Ralph, being stuck in the middle of his two best friends. So he tried to give the guy as much space as possible.

"Good. He's good." They stood awkwardly, each avoiding the other's gaze. There were times when Derek wished they could go back to being best friends, but he knew it couldn't happen. There was too much between them now, like a chasm between two cliffs. Sam would never understand or advocate Derek's feelings for Casey, and Derek could never forgive Sam for not noticing his psycho ex-girlfriend's attempts to have him expelled.

"So, my parents are throwing this huge barbeque thing at the end of the summer and they wanted me to let you know you and your, erm, family, are invited," Sam said, his tone flat. Derek nodded.

"I'll tell them about it," he promised. Sam nodded his head once and picked up the box.

"Cool. Well, I guess I'll see you around campus."

"See you around," Derek repeated, and he was gone.


	14. Epilogue

**A/N: Here it is, the Epilogue, the last chapter. I just want to say that this ending was the first thing I wrote for this story, and I'm really pleased with the way everything turned out. I hope you all like it as much as I do. :)**

Pieces

**Epilogue**

The moonlight made shadows against the large bay window. Scrunching his eyes closed, Derek tried to sleep, but the light was too bright and he was too lazy to stand up and draw the curtain.

Sighing, he rolled over and pulled the covers to his chin. The dorm was eerily quiet, but he refused to turn on a radio. He wanted to feel everyone's absence. He wanted to bask in his misery for a night. Lindsey had hinted more than once in the past couple of weeks at sleeping over to keep him company, but he always politely refused. He knew why, and she knew why, but they never spoke of it. It was just easier that way.

The door creaked and he glanced up, his heart skipping a beat. A shadow was moving across the room, still a silhouette that had yet to reach the light from the moon. He knew it wasn't Lindsey, the shadow was too tall.

"Casey?" He whispered. She came to the edge of the bed and he reached out to touch her, to convince himself that she was real.

Lifting the comforter, she climbed in next to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. He squeezed her tightly, afraid to believe she was there.

"Casey…" he whispered again, and she placed her finger against his lips.

"Shh. I'm here, Derek. I'm not going anywhere."

"Do you promise?" She nodded. "Oh, God, Casey, I love you so much." He had never said it out loud to her before, but she only smiled, her face half-hidden in shadow.

"I love you, too, Derek." She paused. "Derek? Derek?"

He was being shaken, and he reluctantly opened his eyes. Lindsey's concerned face was inches from his. Behind her, the TV was on, the screen glowing blue. He remembered that they had been watching a movie.

"You fell asleep," Lindsey said unnecessarily. "I think you were having a nightmare."

_More like the most amazing dream ever_, he thought, but he didn't say it. "Did I talk at all?" He asked.

She stared at him for several seconds, and he could see the glint of jealousy in her eyes before she turned back to the TV, picking up the remote.

"No."

**A/N: Please tell me honestly what you think. I know you're unhappy that Dasey didn't get together, but that's just how the plot rolls, you know? This was really hard for me to write because I wanted to get Derek&Casey together as much as you did, but that just wasn't for this story, and I had to be true to my muse! I'm working on another LWD story called "The Music of Your Heart" that will be funny, fluffy Dasey rather than angsty Dasey. I'll be posting it soon so be sure to read and review!!**


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